


Dead or A Lie

by TsukasaPChan



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Still Gay, i cant write switch im sorry, no switch, pretty boys die, probably ooc at one point, there will be gay scenes, theyre too gay they cant control themselves, will add more tags soon, your best boy will probably die
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-09-06
Packaged: 2018-09-20 10:19:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9486944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsukasaPChan/pseuds/TsukasaPChan
Summary: //for u sinnersThe students of Yumenosaki wake to find themselves at school, lost and confused. It's the same school, but a twist awaits them.//i cant write summaries for shit do u get me





	1. Dead or A Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Only one pair of students may leave this school alive by the end~"

**~~ Day 1 = 3:15 AM ~~**

Purple eyes fluttered open slowly, squinting to adjust to the light. Instead of being met with a high white ceiling, a familiar egg-white tiled ceiling greeted his wake. The young idol was brought to attention at this. He sat up and looked around.

'The studio..' was the only thing ringing in his head. 

How on earth did he end up back in school? He was quite sure he had collapsed on his bed after a long day of work the night before. Cautiously getting up, he had also noticed he had somehow changed from his casual home attire to his school uniform. If this is some well-played prank, it is not at all funny..

..

Okay, scratch that. There was no way this could be a prank. 

Taking a look around, the studio didn't look any different. All of the equipment were still intact, even Ritsu's bed was untouched. However, the Knights costumes that hung on the rack were gone, except for the Knights uniforms of Izumi's and his own. 

It wasn't different at all, but there was a heavy pressure in his chest, telling him something was wrong,. He just wasn't sure what that was..

"Oi, Kasa-kun."

"Gyaah!"

..

"Pfft.."

"Sena-senpai, this is not funny!"

The pressure in his chest calmed upon finding his senpai. It was quiet and there were no people, after all. Anyone would make him feel better in such a tense situation. 'How did he get here? Was he here before me?' Questions arose in Tsukasa's head again until Izumi shoved his head a bit to get him out of his little thinking trace, "Pay attention, you shitty brat. Sooo annoying! I don't know what's going on.. But the speakers have been making that sound they make when someone's about to speak.. We need some explanations." 

The sounds cut off, a clear sound of tapping on a mic echoing in their ears, "Welcome back to school, students of Yumenosaki." The voice was not familiar at all. It was an woman's voice, not an adult, but not exactly a young girl either.. "Everyone is finally awake~ Good morning. Your time check is 3:17 AM. Now, everyone is currently scattered around the school, but you have all been partnered accordingly. You are not to separate from your partner. Disobedience to this rule will be punishable by.. extreme measures." 

"Should we stick together then..?" Tsukasa asked cautiously. The silver haired boy shrugged, "I guess. Whatever the hell this is, I'm not gonna go and find out what those extreme measures are." The older turned to him, glanced up and down as if he's never seen the boy before and sighed loudly, "But I wish I could've been partners with Yuu-kun and not some shitty brat! So annoying!"

'The same as always..'

"You all must be wondering what is going on~ It is simple! We are playing a game!"

The voice took a drastic turn from a sweet, welcoming one to a sadistic, deep tone, "Only one pair of students may leave this school alive by the end~"

Tsukasa's stomach dropped. Obviously, this is just a joke, right? He turned to Izumi, hoping for a sarcastic response, but was terrified to see he too was in disbelief. Ocean blue eyes were wide, unsure about what to feel. 

"Yes, you heard me, everyone! There's no dilly-dallying, so I'll explain the rules! One, you are not to separate from your partner and go off on your own. However, you are free to separate momentarily for a strategy, you will be given a time limit of 2 hours to reunite later on. Two, you will not be allowed to kill your own partner. Three, alliances between other teams are allowed, but please be aware that in the end, one of the pairs must live, and alliances will not last long~ Any other rules will be further announced. Various weapons have been scattered around the school, finding them is up to you. And lastly, the room you have woken up in is your only safe haven. At night, that is. Other teams will not be prohibited to enter a room at night, just to keep it safe!"

"We will begin momentarily!"

"Sena-senpai.."

"We'll be fine."

 

"10!"

 

"Sena-senpai!"

"Stop being a shitty brat and listen to your seniors for once!"

 

"9!"

 

"You're in the archery club, right? We'll have to work with that.. Fuck.. I hope no one's been assigned to club rooms.."

 

"8!"

 

"I can't get my bow.."

"I'll get it for you, if you want me to leave you here and get potentially killed."

 

"7!"

 

"I-I'll come with you, then!"

"So annoying.."

 

"6!"

 

"Listen, Kasa-kun, this 'game' is stupid.. And if it's real, there's still a chance to get out, so don't you fucking die on me, got it?"

 

"5!" 

 

"You can't trust anyone else in the school other than me.. for now.." 

"Huh..?"

 

"4!"

 

"Knights.. What about Knights? Can't we trust them?"

"Say we form an alliance. There's no chance it's just us Knights. For all we know, they could be partnered with someone else, with different intentions.."

 

"3!"

 

"Besides, can you handle having to kill them by the end of this?

 

"2~! Aaaaand~"

 

"Get ready, you shitty brat.." 

 

"1! Students of Yumenosaki, welcome! To Dead or A Lie!"


	2. First Things First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Izumi wasn't going to learn, does it mean he actually has to kill his fellow students with this?

**~~ Day 1 = 4:00 AM ~~**

'Each day from now on, you lovely, lovely students of Yumenosaki will be fighting to the death~!"

A squeal.

Gee, how reassuring. 

"No pacifist routes here, so there's no escaping it! I do hope you can offer me a lovely show of clashing reds! Now then, I'll announce those who have died every morning, to be safe! Some pairs seem to be on the run right now, so I'll stop talking and leave you to it! Good luck, and don't disappoint me now!"

Tsukasa found difficulty in trying to catch up with Izumi. He was in the Tennis Club, so of course he would be athletic. Not only that but to be fair, he's good at everything. 

Also, he seems to have plenty of energy chasing Makoto around.

"Sena-senpai! What do we do if we encounter another pair..?" He asked, trying to strike up a conversation despite their current situation. Izumi just glanced back at him and hit him with the blunt truth, "Then we can either get away from them, or.. If they try to kill us, we'll have to do the same.. I think.."

Ooh, that's a new word coming from his mouth. 'I think'. 

Their space was limited to just the school, so it didn't take long to reach the Archery Club's dojo. Izumi pressed an ear to the door and his brows furrowed. "Someone's here." 

"We can't just let our efforts of getting here go to waste.. Even if we have to.. Well.." 

Izumi just hushed him and slowly pulled the sliding door open. That fast? 

Seemingly noticing the door open, a small shriek came from one of the students inside. 

And it did not sound masculine at all. 

"Ah.. It's Sena-senpai.." 

Tsukasa peeked his head in to find both of his classmates, Yuuta and Shinobu. The purple haired boy was cowering away behind Yuuta, while the twin kept him safe the best he could. "Tsukasa-kun too? Were you two paired together?"

Feeling ease upon finding familiar faces, Tsukasa stepped in, "Ah, yes. I.. We wanted to retrieve a bow from my club, but it appears you two have been assigned here?" 

Yuuta was able to calm Shinobu and he got up to converse with Tsukasa, "Mm.. I tried to use one, but in the end, I really don't know how.. Shinobu-kun wanted to barricade the door, but there really isn't much in here either.." 

Despite his past experiences with Yuuta in the Test of Courage, Izumi decided to ignore him completely and check the bows and arrows in the racks. "Oi, Kasa-kun. What kind of arrows did you normally use here?" 

Returning his attention to his partner, Tsukasa poked his head over Yuuta's shoulder, "Regular arrows..? Ah, but not the ones with metal tips, those were too dangerous. Why..?" 

Izumi held up one of the arrows. It was metal-tipped and the feather by the other end was colored. The senior stepped to the side and revealed the rest of the arrows had various different colors, red, purple, orange, blue, green and more. "These are actual weapons. It's not your usual practice stuff."

The heir felt a heavy pressure in his stomach. If Izumi wasn't going to learn, does it mean he actually has to kill his fellow students with this? The silver haired boy held out a bow to him and he accepted it slowly. 

"Yuuta-kun. Can we take these?" 

So he was considerate after all. 

The boy nod, "Shinobu-kun and I don't know how to use it.. So we'll give it to you. It'll help, right?"

Tsukasa showed concern, "But what about you? What'll you do for a weapon? You don't possibly plan to just stay here, do you?" 

Though as much as he hated to admit it, having them here would be fine. That would be two less people to worry about, but he wasn't heartless like that. Yuuta is a kind person, and Shinobu was much too pure for a nightmare like this. 

"That lady said there are weapons hidden everywhere. I'll go out sooner or later and hope that there are still some left that nobody found. We'll be okay, but you should get going soon.. I suggest you take all of them though..? The other Archery Club members might be after them too." 

Izumi and Tsukasa tensed. He was right. For all they know, Yuzuru, Keito and Leo could be heading over right now, with their respective partners. They weren't going to take that chance of someone else getting their hands on a good long distance weapon, so Izumi carried the remaining three bows along with some equipment, while Tsukasa carried the rest on his back, along with his own bow, and the arrows. They bid Yuuta and Shinobu goodbye and Tsukasa only hoped they would be safe. 

"We'll hurry back and see if we can do anything about keeping the studio safe. That way, there'll be a small chance of someone breaking in during the day," Izumi explained as they made their way back to the studio. Seeing a small figure far in the distance, their pace went faster. 

"Kasa-kun, are you good with that thing?" Tsukasa gripped the bow tighter in his hand, "I know mounted archery.. So I can hit moving targets better, and from an elevated position."

"Good. I'm counting on you if someone starts sneaking up on us."

There's that heavy feeling again. He really didn't want to kill, but Izumi is already planning things out, and he has no choice in the matter. 

They safely made it back to the studio and it looks like no one had entered yet. Everything was still the way they left it. They put down the extra bows, quivers and equipment, and Izumi went for the door.

"Sena-senpai? Where are you going?" 

 

_'Don't leave.'_

 

"I just realized that the Tennis Court is closer here the the dojo. I'm going to check and see if there's anything there we can use, and I'll see if I can pick something useful up. You can stay here and guard the weapons." 

He was going to leave.

"You can't go by yourself! I'll go with you, we can bring the-" "If you bring them again, then we won't be able to do much. Trust me on this sometimes, Kasa-kun. I'll be back soon. Give me 15 minutes. If I'm not back by then, bring what you can and come look for me." 

Of course he had thought this through again. 

But he couldn't always be right, so Tsukasa couldn't trust his judgement. 

"Please be back safe." 

Izumi offered a small nod before heading out. The speakers buzzed.

"Three pairs have separated! You have two hours to reunite, or you're out!"

'We're definitely one of those three.. But we only need 15 minutes.."

Or so he had hoped.

 

_"Please come back."_


	3. Too Convenient

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A-Are we really going to use this..?"

**~~ Day 1 = 4:47 AM ~~**

So between the studio and the Tennis Court, Izumi just needed to cross by the front gate and the auditorium.

Scavenge for anything they can use for the door, or weapons, everything else that might help them survive, that was the plan. But Izumi forgot to consider the fact that some of these schoolmates of his were actually going to be willing to kill him. This was no walk in the park. He had to get what he could and hurry back. 

The edge of the court was in sight, when a figure came out from the side of the auditorium.

"Chest!" 

Oh.

Well isn't that just perfect.

Missing by a hair, the figure fell back and stood a few feet away from Izumi. 

Souma.

And of course that lady had to bless him with his katana.

The least she could've done is take it from him and toss it into the goddamn pool. 

"Ya ya? Sena-dono, you are alone? While I may or may not understand your intentions of separating from your partner, I offer my deepest apologies. For I, Kanzaki, Souma must live up to my family name and survive this ridiculous 'game'. And thus, I have no choice but to strike you down."

Formalities when killing. Very Souma-like.

"Chest!"

Shouting where he was aiming was the only thing Souma could let go of. Izumi barely dodged and tripped Souma, kicking his katana away, making a run for the court.

_'Stupid, stupid! Go back to the studio!'_

Or so the voice in his head had told him to do. But he kept running anyway. As a senior, he didn't exactly want to go back empty-handed for his scared kouhai. 

Fast footsteps closed in on him and he had wondered if Souma was able to retrieve his katana so fast. It almost sounded as if he was less than a foot away when a small whizzing sound buzzed behind him, followed by a body falling. He glanced back to find a fairly jagged rock lodged in Souma's cheek. That looked bad. Blood began seeping out and Souma tossed the rock with a pained hiss. More rocks came by, but only seemed to be aimed at Souma, so the second year had retreated. 

And thank God for that. 

Izumi slowed down, but continued to walk, while looking around for where the rocks had come from. Whoever it was, he was definitely grateful. 

Luckily, no one seemed to be assigned to the Tennis Court, as it was completely deserted. There was a black gym bag beside the net and, naturally, Izumi went for it. He slowly unzipped the bag to check the insides. Eyes widening, he scratched his head,

"Seriously..? This is overkill.." 

Regardless, it was useful and could serve as Izumi's weapon while Tsukasa held on to the bows. He slung the heavy bag over his shoulder and continued to look around. Taking a peek inside the auditorium could be dangerous. It's a closed area where someone could be waiting with a lethal weapon, so he skipped over it. 

For now, he was safe. 

But he wasn't falling into the bliss of ignorance, so ran back anyway. Three rooms away from the studio, and a medical kit was conveniently placed on the floor in clear sight. It's either someone left it on purpose, seeing as it was standing upright and facing Izumi's direction, or it was a trap. Just to be sure, he checked the room it was placed beside in, and found no one in it, luckily. 

Leaning towards the former option, he picked up the kit and knocked on the studio door. "Kasa-kun, open up."

There was some shuffling inside and Izumi rolled his eyes. He checked his watch and seen he had been away for about 20 minutes. If someone else was moving in there aside from Tsukasa, Izumi was going to lose it. 

The lock clicked anyway and Izumi blinked. 

Anyone else would've kept it locked or slam it open in Izumi's face and kill him, but it wasn't the case, so he turned the knob.

Inside, Tsukasa was cowering away behind the backdrops. His bow was on the floor in the middle of the room and arrows were scattered around. Concerned, Izumi put down the bag and approached the red-haired boy. 

"Oi, what happene- Oh.."

Tsukasa's right hand was twitching over his arm, afraid to touch the wound on his left forearm. Someone had cut through his blazer and made it to his skin. The wound didn't look deep, so he'd be fine. 

"Who did it?"

"Hakaze-senpai.. I was about to leave to go after you, but I encountered him outside. He had a knife.. I landed an arrow in his shoulder, but in the end, I had to retreat here.." 

Izumi moved to go for the too-convenient medical kit he had found when Tsukasa grabbed his sleeve with his good hand, "I don't want to do this anymore.." 

The gray haired boy sighed and roughly ruffled his hair, "We don't have a choice, we both know that. Let go, we need to get you fixed." Tsukasa reluctantly let go and Izumi got the kit, opening it to find all the things they need.

Again,

too convenient.

He treated Tsukasa in silence when the younger peeked over the backdrop to see the gym bag, returning to face Izumi. "Did you get anything?" 

He just nod, closing his eyes at remembering the contents of the bag, "Yeah, and that lady is insane, to leave that with us. But I wasn't going to let anyone else have it. That would be game over. You won't be able to use it, so I will. Just hold onto your bows and arrows." 

Once the bandages were secured, Izumi got up and Tsukasa followed him to see what he was talking about. And he nearly fell over upon seeing it, overwhelmed. 

"A-Are we really going to use this..?"

 

**~~ Day 1 = 4:55 AM ~~**

 

"Satisfied?" 

The blonde pulled back, removing the brace of his wrist brace slingshot and stuffing it into his pocket, playing with the rocks he had picked up. 

"Mm, this is fine. We couldn't use that thing, so it's best to leave it with Izumi-chin."

"What if he kills us with it?!"

"He won't. Trust nii-chan!"

"You're not my nii-chan."

"Don't ruin my fun."


	4. Gathering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy, so this is a smol chappie fic dedicated to the pairs that will be showing up starting now~
> 
> //if the chapter title says gathering its probably gonna be like these ay

**~~ Day 1 = 5:13 AM ~~**

"Ritsu~"

_Noisy.._

"Ritsu?"

_Ew. Go away._

"Ritsu."

"Ah, you were there Anija? I thought it was a gross bug."

As always, Rei had ignored his insult and peeked out the window, "That was Sena-kun who just passed by a while ago, Ritsu~" 

Ritsu waved him off, "Secchan's fine.. He looks like he got something big for himself after all. And besides.." The younger brother jabbed a thumb towards the halberd in the corner of the Auditorium, "Do we really need that kind of weapon? We're all teenagers.. The woman's nuts." Rei hummed and lifted the large weapon with ease, "True, such a weapon shouldn't be left in the hands of children~"

The older turned to Ritsu, with a smile that was almost scary, "But then again, I am no child~ I'm an old man~" Ritsu squinted in disgust, turning away to lay down on the rows of chairs, "Ew, you're so gross.. Ahh, but if you're an old man, maybe you should hurry up and die already." 

"And leave you alone in this awful game of death?! Never, my dear Ritsu! Onii-chan's heart will break!" 

Seriously..

_So gross._

**~~ Day 1 = 5:13 AM ~~**

"Did you seriously get beat by a bunch of rocks? Souma-kun, you can use some tips from your senpai!" 

"..."

"..."

"Disgrace-dono, I really do not want to hear that coming from you."

"And why is that?"

"YOU HAVE AN ARROW LODGED IN YOUR SHOULDER?" 

"Ah, ah, ah. Correction. I _had_ an arrow lodged in my shoulder."

"That honestly does not make me feel any better."

Kaoru rolled his eyes and picked up the arrow from earlier, observing it, "So we got the kid from Knights armed with the bows and arrows from the archery club. I wasn't able to find out who his partner was though.."

Tending to his own wounds, Souma set his katana down on the table, "Hm. And I had encountered Sena-dono as you already know. Though I was already threatened away before I was able to see what he was doing out there alone."

"You think Senacchi is the kid's partner? The girly behind the speakers said three pairs separated. There's Senacchi, that kid, and us."

"It is a possibility. However, as we have not identified the third pair, we cannot jump to conclusions." 

"..."

"..."

"Souma-kun, you're such a bore."

"WHY?"

**~~ Day 1 = 5:13 AM ~~**

"So as of right now, we've got our own weapons, and first aid.. Think we can head over to the cafeteria or kitchen soon and see if we can pick up stuff there?" 

Tsukasa nod, slowly rubbing his bandages to ease the sting, "We should.. Even if we have all this, we won't be able to last very long without proper nutrition, or any nutrition at all, really.." 

"Especially you. Because Kasa-kun's the binge eater of Knights, yanno~ Don't make our image look bad."

"I am not fat."

"I never said you were."

"..."

"..."

"I am not fat."

"Yes, yes, sure, whatever you say, Kasa-kun. So! While we're not using it yet, I'll use these other pieces of my weapon to keep the door shut. And, as long as we're inside, I guess, we could still always just lock the door." 

..

"Kasa-ku-"

"Am I fat?"

"You're not listening!"

**~~ Day 1 = 6:40 AM ~~**

"The last pair has 20 minutes left to reunite, or you'll be disqualified! Will we get a show right away? Oh, wouldn't that be fun!" 

"Ngahh, he's takin' too long.."

The dark haired boy clutched the wooden box in his arms, darting his eyes around anxiously, going back to the door every few seconds. 

A good 10 minutes passed and he began to shake, afraid of the punishment they'll receive for not reuniting. But instead, the door to the classroom slammed open, welcoming a panting blonde boy.

"I'm sorry I took so long!"

"Boo.. The last pair has reunited! Boring.. I wanna see some action soon, okay?"

The indigo eyed boy sighed, dropping his bag down on the floor beside the other, following and stretching his legs, "I was able to get a couple of things, but going out there really is dangerous.."

"Dangerous? Why? Did'ja bump into someone?"

"Mm.. I almost got caught in your Oshi-san's trap. He sure is smart, Mika-chan.."


	5. Marionette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata wakes up in Yumenosaki, and is terrified to realize he is alone in this fight to the death. 
> 
> Or was he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //i know some places like labs, computer rooms, etc. probably don't exist in yumenosaki--//shot 
> 
> but for the sake of this fic, they're getting them~ 
> 
> im out of places to use help me 
> 
> (the secret passageways will be used later on tho)

**~~ Day 1 = 5:39 AM ~~**

"Yuuta-kun?! Tetora-kun?!" 

The older Aoi twin panicked upon waking up in school, locked inside the Biology Lab. To be greeted by a cold floor, and a metallic scent wasn't exactly the most comforting. He had listened to the announcement, and a wave of fear filled his body. He was locked inside, but could someone open it from the outside and kill him? He didn't want to think about it.

With the lab located on the top floor with all the third year classrooms, he didn't find climbing out of the window a very good idea. Maybe he could summon some parkour master from inside him and make his way down safely?

..

Yeah, no, not likely.

There was nothing in the room that could help him escape either. There were only two rows of tables, with their respective stools, and useless equipment like a mannequin (which honestly gave him the creeps every time he would give it a glance), fake skulls and microscopes with test tubes in their holders.

Hinata gave them all a look several times (excluding the mannequin), and was disappointing to find that none of them were useful at all. The woman on the speaker mentioned something about weapons, but he wasn't blessed with one, looks like. 

Nor was he blessed with a partner.

To pass the time, hoping _someone_ would end up finding him (without having to kill him), Hinata began to play around with the equipment he had. It didn't ease the fact that his brother - the person he had been with his entire life - was also in this death hole. Was he safe? Did someone already get him? The questions didn't stop, and it made everything worse.

Or at least, he hoped.

The situation got much more intense, as the metallic smell in the lab grew stronger. It didn't smell like chemicals anymore.

Another smell he could easily identify was something along the lines of rubber burning. The other wasn't familiar. It was strong, invading his nostrils. Strong, metallic and rotten. It almost smelled like-

Oh.

**OH.**

Hinata shuffled to the door, wanting to get out of the room immediately. He was desperate; suffocating. His breathing was uneven, heart pounding, and the loud ringing in his ears was interrupted by a tiny, dainty tap on the cold floor. It sounded like a shoe. 

But he didn't want to stay and find out. 

 

"Aoi, Hinata-kun~! Let's play!

 

**~~ Day 1 = 6:21 AM ~~**

"We'll leave by tonight. That way, we can both leave the room without having to worry about anyone getting in. And, if by any chance someone already has the kitchen occupied, we should use your things instead.. It'd be a waste to use mine. Especially in such a small area too." 

"Right.. If it's by night, then we should expect to encounter some students who prefer the night over day.. There's Ritsu-senpai, and his older brother.."

Izumi closed his eyes, "And Ou-sama too. He's restless. And he'll probably drag his partner to 'go find the aliens', or something. And we can assume that maybe the members of UNDEAD will still be up. Since they're probably used to it, with all their rehearsals and lives being held at night.. How's your arm?" 

Tsukasa frowned, glancing at the bandages, "It still hurts.. But I can still fire my arrows..!" 

"You're gonna have to teach me one of these days," Izumi suggested. "We took all of them, and to use mine right away isn't worth it. So let's make use of what we picked up." 

"What we picked up.."

"Hm?"

"Will Yuuta-kun and Shinobu-kun really be okay..?"

Ohh, he really didn't want to think about that.

"We can't worry about them. We don't have the luxury to." 

"But isn't it unfair?!" 

"Enough, Kasa-kun!"

The junior shrunk away but turned his head, "It's unfair."

"Look at us, Kasa-kun. We're trapped in school, and some psychopath is forcing us to kill each other. You think any of this is fair?"

...

...

"Yahoo~! Hello, everyone! It's your favorite hostess here! I have a new announcement!"

"Speak of the devil."

The ring of the speakers made them both jump, and something about listening to this girl's voice made their blood boil. 

"Uh-huh, so! I've got some news I forgot to tell you last time! Every morning, before either member wakes up, I will slip a nice little letter under your doors. Be sure to read them, because they contain some super secret information you might want. But announcing deaths, is still my job~ Speaking of which~"

 

 

"I'm very happy to say that we have lost two players!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy soooo--
> 
> I know it's been a while, I'm sorry-
> 
> School sucks, and people have lives so-
> 
> //pluswritersblockrip
> 
> I'll try to keep updating as much as possible, please don't abandon this fic :')


	6. After Hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> By the time Mao had decided to stop him, Ritsu was already gone.

**~~ Day 1 = 6:21 PM ~~**

_'Aoi, Hinata-kun, and Hasumi, Keito-kun have died~!'_

 

_'Yuuta-kun..?'_

 

_'Hinata-kun has been caught by a slasher, and Keito-kun, worried for the life of his partner, Isara, Mao-kun, committed suicide! Such a waste, really~'_

 Ritsu stared at the ceiling as the woman's words echoed back into his mind. Mao was all alone then. His Maa-kun was all alone, probably still with a dead body. And here he was, relaxing in the auditorium with one of the most annoying people.

"Ritsu.."

"Hey, you know what? Keito-kun's death was rather boring.. So I expect to see some new, fun deaths with this start, okay? I'm looking forward to it, students! Don't let me down! The evening has begun, I wonder how things will play through~"

 The younger Sakuma sat up at the sudden announcement and stretched, making his way towards the door. 

"Ritsu? Where are you going?"

"Gonna find Maa-kun." 

"Not without your dearest onii-chan, Ritsu~!"

"So annoying.. Okay, you can be my human shield."

Rei hummed, picking up the weapon in the corner with ease, "Rather than a human shield, my dear Ritsu, wouldn't something along the lines of 'bodyguard' be better? We vampires need something to drink now too, yes~?" 

Ah, he had a point.

Ritsu had decided to let him come along, given that he wouldn't talk to him. There were quite a few rooms they had to check if they wanted to find Mao. There was his classroom, the basketball court, maybe even the cafeteria. And, with his partner apparently being Keito, they saved the best for last.

The student council.

Upon reaching for the door, Ritsu picked up a familiar scent. One was definitely Mao; they were in the right place. The other was rather rotten, metallic and unappetizing. He shifted his shoulders. Keito.

As he tried to push the door open, it began to dawn on him that it was barricaded from the other side. 

Locking himself in a room with a dead body? Not very smart.

So instead, Ritsu brought his hand up and knocked on the door, a startled noise and some books falling resounding from inside. "Maa-kunnn~ Open up~" It was quiet until there was some light shuffling, Mao's voice was close. He probably got up to go to the door, "Ritsu?" 

"I'm here too~"

"No one cares, anija. C'mon, Maa-kun, let's go~" 

He was hesitant, judging by the lingering silence that passed for a couple of minutes, "Where.. Where were you guys assigned?" "Auditorium~ It's really bigg, and spaceyy~" Ritsu could almost feel Mao roll his eyes from the other side, "I know what the auditorium looks like, Ritsu, geez.." 

"Maa-kun, if you don't hurry, I'll leave you behind~"

Mao groaned, grumbling a response and started moving whatever he set as a barricade away. The door creaked open and he nervously stepped out, like a puppy being introduced to its new home. In his hand was a small black bag. Upon noticing Ritsu's attention to it, he gave it a light shake, "Poison." Oh.

_Oh._

"Vice President, uh.. Y'know.." 

"Is there blood?" 

"Huh..?"

Looking up was almost a bad idea. Rei's eyes glinted in the dark, very much like Ritsu's. Red wasn't his favorite color.. But he had known these brothers (at least, one of them) since childhood. He knew what they wanted. "Y-Yeah.." 

Rei gave a blank smile to Ritsu, holding up a finger before entering the room, closing the door behind him.

"Ritsu..?"

"He needs to drink~ I do too, but I have Maa-kun-"

"No."

"Stubborn.." 

Mao glanced up and down at Ritsu, shifting away awkwardly from the sound of a body being dragged in the room. "And you.. You guys are seriously crazy, going out at night like this? What if something bad happens?!" 

Ritsu's brow arched, and he cocked his head to the side with a small squint, "Huh? But Maa-kun, we're vampires~ We're awake at night, did you forget~?" 

"That's not what I meant! What I mean to say is that other students could be thinking the same thing! It's not just you guys who have an advantage at nig-"

He was unable to finish his sentence as a projectile was tossed in his direction, nearly missing by a hair. Red eyes squinted at the arrow in the wall beside them. Mao staggered away from it, as if it could still fly on its own and kill him, but Ritsu didn't hesitate to jerk the thin piece of wood out of the wall. His head snapped to the direction where it came from and he was fortunate enough to see a blur of brown hair disappear behind a corner. He took a whiff of the arrow, which reeked of dirt. It was thin, not the kind made for bows. So it wasn't from the archery club. The way it zipped passed them also wasn't something you could produce from a normal bow. 

"Stay with anija. You can go on without me."

"Ritsu-"

"It's my turn to drink."

 

By the time Mao had decided to stop him, Ritsu was already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> late updates, late updatessss 
> 
> wow were gonna lose some boys i didnt expect to lose so quickly
> 
> i need to fix my life rip


	7. Miscalculation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuta fucked up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love 2wink but im so sorry for this HAHAHAHA

**~~ Day 1 = 6:58 PM ~~**

After Rei had his fill of what blood he could retrieve from Keito's body, he was surprised to find Mao waiting all by himself.

"Ritsu?"

"He went off by himself.. I'm sorry, I couldn't stop him." 

Mao gave him the arrow that Ritsu had snatched out of the wall and Rei stared, taking a few moments to observe it. He took it out of Mao's hands and brought it to his face. Ritsu's scent had covered up whatever the smell was earlier, so that didn't help. He clicked his tongue and hid the arrow away for future use.

"Let's go get you somewhere safe first. Ritsu would definitely scold me if something happened his dear friend."

"But what about..?"

"We can search for him tomorrow. It is far too dangerous to go around blindly at this time."

Reluctantly, Mao agreed and the made their way back to the auditorium.

 

Rei only hoped Ritsu would still be alive by the time they went looking for him.

**~~ Day 1 = 6:58 PM ~~**

"Y-Yuuta-kun? Where are you going?"

"Ah, sorry, Shinobu-kun. I was a little dumb.. Maybe we should've kept one for ourselves after all."

Shinobu panicked and stuttered as Yuuta slid the door open to leave the dojo. "You don't sound like yourself at all, de gozaru..! Where are you going?" 

Yuuta understood what Shinobu was feeling. By the first day, two lives were already lost, even considering the fact that one was possibly by their own hands, since they gave Tsukasa and Izumi the weapons in the first place. For all they know, they could be going on a killing spree this very moment. But with the news of his very own brother being murdered by someone, he had all the more motivation to protect Shinobu, since he was all he had left. There were still other people who meant something to Yuuta; Tsukasa and Mitsuru were both his friends in the classroom, and of course, Rei was always a big brother figure in their eyes. But everyone else had their own concerns, and right now, Shinobu was Yuuta's. 

"I'm gonna go and look for something we can use to protect ourselves. And if I manage to find where Tsukasa-kun and Sena-senpai are, I can try to convince them to give us back at least one of the bows. You stay here, where it's safe." 

"I-It's not safe at all, de gozaru! I'll be all alone.. and..!" 

A gentle pat on his head calmed him down and the older of the two boys waved his hand, "Don't you remember what that lady said? The rooms we wake up in are our safe haven. No one's allowed to come in here at night. So don't worry. I promise I'll be back the moment you wake up." 

"Wake up? I can't possibly sleep in a situation like this, Yuuta-kun.." 

"Ahahaha.. You'll need it though. Don't worry about me and stay put, okay?"

When Yuuta closed the door on Shinobu, a heavy feeling in his chest made him want to retreat back inside. Leaving this dojo could be dangerous all in itself, but roaming around the school in hope of a weapon? The chance of being killed just got higher.

The closest building to the dojo was the gym, which was pretty big. Spotting someone in there would be easy, so he could run immediately. But if he got trapped inside, it would be game over. He still was willing to take the risk, for Shinobu's sake. 

He decided climbing in through the window of the equipment room was the best idea. The lights were on inside, so Yuuta swallowed a heavy lump before slowly pushing the door open for a small crack he could peek through. He froze when he saw what was happening inside. 

_'My, my, my.. Practice what you preach, Aoi, Yuuta-kun.. Someone forget a rule~'_

"Hup! Hey, hey! How was that, Ado-chan-senpai?!"

"Mm. Not bad, Tenma. We should be able to leave tomorrow, find some things that could be useful."

They were training. This pairing was so unfair. A fast runner like Mitsuru, and a huge athletic guy like Adonis, in a pair? Overkill. Yuuta definitely wouldn't go out there and confront them, so he chose to find whatever there was in the equipment room, which wasn't much. There were just some basketballs and cleaning materials. But, with his sharp eye, he noticed something a little out of place. There was a small white bag in the corner, hidden behind a few basketballs. He picked it up and looked inside, satisfied with what he had gotten. He - as quietly as possible - climbed back out and immediately head back to the dojo. 

Luckily enough, he found Shinobu was able to sleep after all. He sighed and sat down next to the boy, closing his eyes and letting sleep consume him. 

**~~ Day 2 = 7:21 AM ~~**

"Yuuta-kun! Yuuta-kun!" 

Upon hearing Shinobu's distressed voice, the twin jolted up, snapping his eyes open, instantly regretting it and scowling at the sudden rush of light. But that was nothing. What woke Yuuta up was seeing Shinobu's teary-eyed face. 

His emerald orbs checked his body (Shinobu would definitely yell 'sexual harassment' at him if he tried to touch him), for any injuries. He looked just fine, untouched, but in his clenched, shaking hands he had a white envelope. It was already torn open, indicating that Shinobu already read it. Then, the mysterious woman's voice echoed in his head,

_'Uh-huh, so! I've got some news I forgot to tell you last time! Every morning, before either member wakes up, I will slip a nice little letter under your doors. Be sure to read them, because they contain some super secret information you might want.'_

"Shinobu-kun..?"

His voice was the trigger as small fists began pounding at his arm. It didn't hurt, since he was weak, but it meant something, and he almost didn't want to find out what it was. 

"Stupid, stupid..! After you were the one who told me to stay here because it was safe..!" 

"I.. I don't follow, Shinobu-kun.."

The self-proclaimed ninja grunted in frustration, shoving the envelope in Yuuta's hands and distancing himself, obviously stressed out. Yuuta gulped. The letter read; 

 

"Congratulations on surviving the first day, Sengoku, Shinobu-kun and Aoi, Yuuta-kun! 

Here is your piece of information, Shinobu-kun! Sena, Izumi-kun and Suou, Tsukasa-kun are residing in the Studio!

As for you, Yuuta-kun, I'm afraid it is game over! You have broken one of the rules and entered a pair's room at night! 

Sadly for you, if you don't finish this task today, you will be deleted from the game!

**Task: Kill a third year by the end of the day."**

 

Yuuta slowly glanced at Shinobu, who was apparently watching him as he read the letter. Their eyes locked for a few seconds before Shinobu turned his head and hugged his knees.

 

 

Yuuta fucked up.


	8. Alarming Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Tsukasa identified as the Biology Lab was coated in splatters of red. A body was on the floor, bathing in the puddle of blood.

**~~ Day 2 = 7:30 AM ~~**

"Shinobu-kun.. Ah, I promise I won't die tonight.. I can't leave you like this-"

"It's not that."

"Huh?"

Shinobu curled up against the wall, hugging his knees even closer, almost like a ball that could roll over the wooden platform at any second, "Neither one is a good choice.. I don't want Yuuta-kun to die.."

Yuuta was terrified of the scared look in Shinobu's eyes as he continued,

 

"But I don't want Yuuta-kun to be a murderer, de gozaru..!"

 

**~~ Day 2 = 7:30 AM ~~**

 

Tsukasa woke up with a pained hiss as he felt pressure on his arm. Izumi just clicked his tongue and shot him a glare, "Don't move around too much, shitty brat." 

Izumi's sleeves were rolled up, and he was cleaning Tsukasa's wounds, which weren't getting any better with the lack of proper treatment. All they were able to do was stop the flow of blood. Beside him was a set of clean, new bandages and the first year sat up, also to help Izumi. "I didn't know we had more..?"

"Neither did I."

He almost panicked, but Izumi reassured him with more information, "The daily-letter thing came in. Here,"

 

"Congratulations on surviving the first day, Sena, Izumi-kun and Suou, Tsukasa-kun!

Here is your piece of information! Tsukinaga, Leo-kun's partner is Morisawa, Chiaki-kun! Both of which are already on the move!

Due to your smart move in the cafeteria yesterday, I'll give you a gift!

When either of you wake, both of your school bags will be placed outside your door, hurry and grab it before anyone else does~ Inside will be the last things you initially left them with, and a few presents from me!

Sincerely, M."

 

"Our bags..?"

"Mine had some more first aid in it, so I guess that's my 'gift'. Out of common courtesy, I didn't check your's yet."

Izumi replaced his bandages and Tsukasa murmured a 'thank you' before inspecting his bag. There were his notebooks (which he decided to skim through earlier), his phone, small things like his wallet, pencil case, and other necessities. The only thing out of place was a set of small vials in a clear case, provided with a single syringe. He brought it out of the corner to show to Izumi, and they noticed that all of them were filled with a blue-ish liquid. 

"What is it..?"

"No clue.. Well, we don't know what to do with your's, so just keep it in there." 

The older excused himself for a breather outside. Naturally, made sure he would easily be able to retreat inside if someone came after him by leaving the door slightly ajar. While he was doing that, Tsukasa decided to check each one of his notebooks. He didn't have a lot. Four was enough for all of the subjects he had. A picture slipped out from the middle of the last notebook he checked. It was blurry, as if whoever took it was in a hurry. But even so, the content he was able to make out was unsettling. A hand, supposedly from the person taking the picture, was in front of the camera, like they were trying to reach for it. They barely took up space in the photo. What made Tsukasa's stomach twist was the figure in the back. They were dressed in a brown suit. He was just there, eerily taking up the entirety of the photo. His skin was pale, making it easy to spot the dark bruises all over his skin. His suit was torn up and bloody, truly a terrifying sight. 

Tsukasa snapped out of his little trance and pulled away from the photo, setting it face-down on the floor so he wouldn't have to look at it anymore. He glanced outside and was slightly calmed to find Izumi standing there with his back turned. 

"Sena-senpai? May I check your notebooks as well?"

Izumi turned his head to the side, acknowledging that he heard Tsukasa, and he waved his hand, "Go ahead." 

"Then, pardon me.."

He crawled over to grab Izumi's bag, taking out the five notebooks he owned. His hands were shaking as he flipped through each one. He sent the photo on the ground an awkward glance before making a startled noise as another photo fell out of one of Izumi's notebooks. It landed on the floor in front of him, face-down. But still, this one was already scarier than the earlier. 

On the clean white back of the photo, there was a smudge of a hand. The smudge was an unpleasant carmine color, with hints of fresh red. But it wasn't big at all, nor was the shape one of a boy's. It was delicately smudged there, almost on purpose. 

 

He didn't want to flip it around. 

 

But even so, his hand slowly reached for it. 

 

And he regret it.

 

Their face was cut out of the picture, but the clothes and hair gave it away and it frightened Tsukasa. 

 

The figure had one arm forward, probably holding the camera. The other was fresh with blood, holding up a peace sign. But like the previous photo, the one taking the picture didn't take up the space. Tsukasa had to hold himself back from expelling everything he had in his stomach. 

The picture was clear this time, and it made everything worse. 

What Tsukasa identified as the Biology Lab was coated in splatters of red. A body was on the floor, bathing in the puddle of blood. And the same figure from earlier didn't move an inch. But he identified the person from the clearer picture.

Unable to stop, he retrieved the photo from earlier and inspected it closer. The figure in brown wasn't just standing there. 

 

He was hanging on a noose.

 

 

Apparently the teachers were at school,

and Kunugi, Akiomi was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Akiyan is dead-
> 
> I wonder where Jin-sensei is? Do you guys wanna guess?


	9. Contamination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just what did you do last night, Ritsu..?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and mao's question is also answered in this same chapter

**~~ Day 2 = 7:30 AM ~~**

"Congratulations on surviving the first day, Isara, Mao-kun and Sakuma, Rei-kun!

Here is your piece of information, Mao-kun! I suggest you be extra careful when roaming around! A pair equipped with nylon wires have been on the move since the first day, and they sure are smart!

As for you, Rei-kun, I'm afraid you are too late! Yesterday night, you informed Mao-kun that you would search for Ritsu-kun today! Judging by your tone of voice, you had already figured that it would be too late to search for him, as pairs are only allowed to be separated for a fixed amount of time! However! In that two hour separation span, some.. interesting events had occur! So Rei-kun will not be suffering the consequences! Lucky!

Now, as the both of you have lost your partners, you are hereby assigned to one another starting today! 

As a gift, both of your school bags will be placed outside your door, hurry and grab it before anyone else does~ Inside will be the last things you initially left them with, and a few presents from me!

Sincerely, M."

 

After reading the letter, Mao looked at Rei in disbelief, who had been going through their things since he woke up, "..You knew?"

No response.

"You knew Ritsu was gonna be stuck out there?! We don't even know if he's alive anymore, what is wrong with you?!" 

Of course Mao was angry. He had known the brothers for the longest time. Of course, he and Rei weren't as close as he was with Ritsu, but he was still one of the few people he had spent his life with as a child. But to lose Ritsu, of all things, was too much to bear. 

"You lack faith in him." 

Pale green eyes went back to glaring, but Rei didn't pay attention. All he could see was frustration. "This 'M' person, which I'm assuming to be is the 'mastermind', didn't specify whether Ritsu is dead or not. And they announced that every day, they would give an update on the deaths. So let's wait, and hope for the best, shall we?" 

He had a point. Mao couldn't stay mad. It won't get them anywhere, and it definitely won't keep them alive. The younger let out a surprised noise as Rei tossed him his school bag, "I do hope you don't mind me going through your things. Our mastermind has left you quite a useful gift." 

Taking a peek inside, Mao found more vials of the same substance he has. It was poison. It was all labelled, explaining what each specific one could do. There was one that is undetectable when mixed with food or a drink, and another that you could coat on a weapon. Rei brought out a cellphone from his bag, that he definitely didn't own. 

Moving on from his temper, Mao walked over and looked at the phone, "This isn't any model I know of.. Maybe it's specially made by 'M'..?" Rei hummed, gesturing to the side pocket of Mao's bag, "I believe you have one as well."

Sticking his hand in the pocket, Mao indeed had a matching phone. It was flat, white in color, aside from the black screen. There were no other buttons or switches around it, so there were no means of unlocking it for now, "I'm guessing we'll have to wait for M's announcement.." 

There was no way Mao could get his mind off of Ritsu.

 

_'Interesting events.._

 

_Just what did you do last night, Ritsu..?'_

 

**~~ Day 2 = 8:00 AM ~~**

"Good morning, students! Oh~ Or should I call you players? Ufu~! Anyways, here's your daily announcement! As discovered by a pair last night, the cafeteria is one of the strictly no-killing grounds in the school! Everyday, it'll be refreshed with food you'll be allowed to take, because death by hunger is sooo boring! But there are still some rules! One! You're not allowed to stay inside for more than two hours! Two! You will not be allowed to speak with another pair if they are inside! You can only speak to your partner! Three! If you kill, or at least attempt to kill someone in the cafeteria, you'll be suffering under some cruel punishment! And for those who had received a nice little gadget, hold on tight, cause I won't let you use it until everyone has one! That's all!" 

"Ah, hear that, Shinonon? We'll be okay!"

"I-Isn't something a bit off..? She didn't announce the deaths.." 

Subaru cupped his chin, "Ah, you're right.. Maybe she forgot?" Hajime rubbed his arm, averting his lavender eyes, "I don't know.. As the 'mastermind' here, I don't think she'd forget something like that.. She's testing us.. Maybe someone important died..?" 

Hajime began spouting paranoid nonsense, so taking responsibility, Subaru pat his head, "Stop worrying about it, Shinonon! We're on the defensive, so we'll be safe, okay? You can count on your senpai!"

"Fufu.. I admire how you can be so positive at a time like this, Akehoshi-senpai."

"Ah! There you go, worrying again!"

"I-I'm sorry?"

**~~ Day 2 = 8:03 AM ~~**

"Nn? Nnnn? Rittsu, she didn't announce it!"

"Ah.. Yeah.. I wouldn't be so surprised though.. That lady definitely wants to mess with everyone's head.. Are you okay?"

Leo hissed as Ritsu reached a hand out and the raven haired boy rolled his eyes. Childish. 

"No touching! Geez! You bite hard! That was mean, Rittsu! Bad!"

"What am I, a dog..? It's your fault for attacking us last night. Consider it payback."

Leo's bright orange hair hurt Ritsu's eyes. Especially out in the open like this. The sun reflected right off of it and straight into his eyes, "Nn, but you took it a little too far, didn't you~? I'm lucky I got off with just a lil bite.."

 

 

"You really drained Chiaki dry! It was scary."

"Sorry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guyssssss
> 
> Sooooo
> 
> I'm alive
> 
> I left this story alone for 5 months because I couldn't decide what to do next, so massive writer's block right there
> 
> But we're back, and I updated every single chapter with the day and time, so try to go back and check that out!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading~ Please support me, and if you have an idea you want me to incorporate here, feel free to comment down!


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